\nJoseph Malinowski, better known as \u201cLieutenant Dan\u201d to his 575,000 TikTok followers, became a viral sensation after refusing to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton. The 54-year-old made waves online when he announced his decision to ride out the storm on his sailboat, defying all warnings from authorities.\n
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Malinowski earned the nickname \u201cLieutenant Dan\u201d from University of Tampa senior Terrence Concannon, who started posting videos of Joseph\u2019s defiant stance on TikTok. The name is a reference to the veteran amputee character from Forrest Gump, as Joseph had his left leg amputated at age 16 after being hit by a car. Terrence explained to NBC News that the moniker fits the persona Joseph portrays on the social media platform.\n
In the days leading up to Hurricane Milton, Joseph took to TikTok to explain his rationale for staying put. \u201cI put my faith in God. I don\u2019t put my faith in man,\u201d Joseph said in one of his viral videos. \u201cGod told me to come out here and get a boat. I came out here and got a boat. Everything he\u2019s been telling me the last few days, I\u2019m doing the right thing. He got my back. I\u2019m in good shape. I ain\u2019t sweating it.\u201d\n
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Despite repeated evacuation orders and rescue attempts, Joseph was determined to stay with his boat. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor even announced during a press conference on October 9, 2024, that authorities had temporarily rescued the TikTok star and taken him to a shelter. However, reporters and fans alike found him back on his boat just hours later, seemingly unfazed by the impending danger.\n
\u201cDan is not leaving the boat for the hurricane,\u201d Terrence said in another viral video. \u201cPeople have offered houses, hotel rooms, apartments \u2014 he will not leave.\u201d\n
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After the storm passed, a group of concerned Tampa residents, including local Monet Rahall, checked in on Joseph. \u201cYou made it! I\u2019m so glad you\u2019re safe,\u201d Rahall said, relieved to find the viral star unharmed.\n
Joseph, who believes divine intervention protected him, raised his arm in triumph and told USA Today, \u201cThe hand of God was over Tampa. It wasn\u2019t too bad.\u201d\n
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The viral fame has not only brought attention to Joseph\u2019s defiant story, but also inspired a wave of support. A GoFundMe campaign was launched to raise funds for Joseph, who lives on his sailboat. As of the time of publication, the fundraiser had already surpassed $40,000.\n
\u201cWe\u2019re rallying together to help our dear friend Lieutenant Dan who lives on a sailboat and embodies the spirit of a true pirate,\u201d the fundraiser\u2019s description reads. \u201cHe\u2019s the kindest soul, never asking for anything but always ready to lend a hand. His current vessel has seen better days, and we want to surprise him with a new boat to continue his seafaring adventures.\u201d\n
In a heartwarming gesture, the campaign noted that any excess funds raised would go toward Joseph\u2019s general livelihood, including groceries, boat furnishings, and possibly even a gym membership \u2014 something he\u2019s long hoped for.\n
As Lieutenant Dan\u2019s story continues to capture hearts online, Joseph Malinowski\u2019s unwavering faith and resilience have turned him into a symbol of defiance in the face of danger.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Who Is TikTok\u2019s \u2018Lieutenant Dan\u2019? Meet Joseph Malinowski, the Sailor Who Rode Out Hurricane Milton on His Boat Joseph Malinowski, better known as \u201cLieutenant Dan\u201d to his 575,000 TikTok followers, became a viral sensation after refusing to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Milton. The 54-year-old made waves online when he announced his decision to ride out\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":94004,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[670],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-94000","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/549.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94000"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94008,"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94000\/revisions\/94008"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thefinejournal.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}